Quote:
Originally Posted by IrvineNative
Even pre-COVID, SF transit was a disaster. BART violent crime per capita was quadruple that of the DC Metro. BART headways were abysmal, 15 minute workday rush hour frequencies if your station was served only by one line. (Even DC Metro stations served by only one line have 6-8 minute rush hour frequencies). And Muni Metro was the slowest urban rail transit system in the nation, averaging less than 10 mph.
And expansions like the Silicon Valley BART were moving at a snails pace with cost overruns second to only NYC. A second Transbay tube has been discussed for ages but so far no progress. Ditto with Caltrain to Downtown. Meanwhile, SF spent over 2 billion on a lavish Transbay Transit Center for a high speed rail and Caltrain extension that may never come.
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I'm not sure how a transit system as extensive and widely used as Muni or BART could be called a disaster. As for Muni's average speed, train lines aren't averaging 10 mph (not in the subway or surface areas that aren't shared with traffic), and neither are certain bus lines, especially at non-rush hour times. But it is true that buses (which carry most Muni passengers, by far) and trains on some of the above ground sections, are often slowed down by traffic and the constant intersections and bus stops. Muni has been dealing with that by adding bus-only lanes to a bunch of streets, and eliminating some bus stops, and is also working out some new train route configurations to make the subway flow more efficiently, as there were too many train lines converging on the market street subway.
BART and Muni have both been expanding over the past several years, with the Central Subway, Van Ness BRT, and BART extensions to SJ, Antioch, and the Oakland airport. Muni also plans to extend the market street subway to SFSU/Park Merced, in the southwest corner of the city (replacing existing surface rail), and to possibly extend the central subway to North beach and Fisherman's wharf, as well as build a BRT line down Geary Blvd. A new transbay tube is also officially in the works, with BART and Capitol Corridor planning to have it built by 2040. That's a long time from now, but at least the idea is more than just talk these days. The rumors are that it might include a new subway through western SF (Geary blvd and 19th ave), but we'll see. Both systems are also currently updating and expanding their train fleets.
In addition to that and Caltrain electrification, there was the construction of SMART in the north bay, and its planned expansions, as well as expansions of the ferry system.
Pretty much all of this stuff has had delays and cost overruns, but that kind of thing isn't unique to the Bay Area.
Yeah, things could be better (I'm jealous of LA's rail plans!), but I don't think SF/the Bay Area has been doing terrible by American standards.